May 2023 Books Read

It was the beginning of June 2016 that I began my massive Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery Series project, reading and reviewing in a companion blog not only the 27 books in the 1970s series, but all or most of the books written by those authors.  It was a crazy idea, but ultimately it has been very rewarding.  I am now beginning my 8th year of the project, down to five authors from 24 (6 this month, due to a Jack Williamson book ordered back in February finally arriving).  A few of the authors had written very few books, so they were wrapped up (too) quickly.  But others, such as Robert Silverberg, happily go on and on.  The only author I gave up on was Piers Anthony, who wrote some of the best books among the 24 authors, but who ultimately became very tiresome and trivial.  By his own admission he writes mostly light fantasy, and he does it for the money.  So I eventually abandoned him.  It shows.  So who is left?  Read on.

 

May began with the usual book by Silverberg.  This one was a novella, published separately in book form, called Thebes of the Hundred Gates. Silverberg was also a popular historian who wrote many non fiction books, and here it seems that he has taken his passion once again into the field of time travel, this time back to Thebes in its heyday.  A man is sent back in time to rescue two time travellers who were mistakenly sent to the wrong time and location.  However, when he finds them, they do not want rescuing.  The novel really gets into the sights and sounds of the city, and will be treasured by lovers of ancient Egypt.

 

Cover of the month.  Jim Effler and AIR Studios.
 

Next came Bladesman of Antares, the next Dray Prescott adventure by Kenneth Bulmer, writing as Alan Burt Akers.  Prescott is a direct rip off of E. R. Burroughs' John Carter of Mars, and the stories are pretty similar, too.  Written in 1975, Dray becomes a spy in the midst of the enemy camp in this very engaging story.  He becomes a sort of Zorro figure, imitating a fop as his main disguise.  This brings forth a lot of humour from Bulmer.  This turned into a very enjoyable entry in the on-going series. 

 

E. C. Tubb's Dumarest saga continues with volume 8 in the series, Veruchia, from 1973.  Whereas Bulmer's series is mostly sword and sandal, Tubb's is pure SF, as Dumarest searches for Earth, a planet no one has heard of.  Each episode we get to visit at least one new planet.  The present story is quite a bit different from the others, despite there being an arena fight starring Dumarest, and the usual assortment of bad guys.  This time he gets to use the secret knowledge from his ring for something useful; this is knowledge that the Cyclans, a human/cyborg race, are after.  And another possible clue to finding Earth is uncovered.  But surprise of surprises, at the end of the book he decides to stay awhile with Veruchia (surprise of surprises, the girl he loves does not die [yet]).  A very good entry in the series.

 

A book of early stories by Jack Williamson, long overdue in the mail, finally arrived this month.  The volume, The Early Williamson, was published in 1975, and contains 11 stories and two essays by the author.  In addition, Jack introduces each story at the end of the previous one.  It is 268 pages long.  Unable to afford any more of the hardcover editions, I found this paperback one on line.  I have already read and reviewed most of the stories it contains, but it does have The Metal Man, which is a pretty good story, the first of his to be published (back in 1928).  I did read all the introductions, even to the stories previously read. 

 

Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn was my Michael Moorcock selection for last month.  There are fifteen stories, five of which I had previously read in other collections.  The highlight story The Black Blade's Song is from 1994 and is 32 pages long.  This is a top notch tale as Elric meets up with Von Bek as they witness the surreal destruction of Chaos.  Elric is offered a unique choice.  As good as anything Leiber ever wrote. 

 

Lastly came On Account of Darkness, short SF tales by Barry Malzberg and Bill Pronzini.  The volume contains 25 stories and an intro by the authors.  My favourite story was Shakespeare MCMLXXXV from 1982, and is 8 pages long.  Shakespeare tries to earn a living as a writer in 20th C. New York.  He doesn't have much luck.  Many of today's writers know the feeling.

 

Turning now to books off the shelf and on Kindle, unrelated to the above series, I managed to read 5 novels.  The first was a SF double (counted as one book due to short length), one novella by Theodore Sturgeon and one novelette by Isaac Asimov.  Sturgeon's The Widget, The Wadget, and Boff is from 1955, about aliens observing a typical (American) Earth family.  It's related to a whole series of type novels about the lives of people living and interacting in a boarding house, though this one is SF.  Some fun characters and situations, and a good read.  The Ugly Little Boy by Asimov is from 1958, about a prehistoric boy brought through time to be observed by doctors and scientists.  He has no hope of ever being released, and so must remain a captive all his life.  However, his nurse has different ideas for his future, and hers.  Again this is a worthwhile read, a blast from the past by another one of the greats.

 

Max Carrados is a blind private investigator, invented by author Ernest Bramah.  Bramah is represented in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series by two fabulous Orientalist novels.  But he also wrote many short tales about a blind detective who is called in from time to time by the experts. His lack of sight does not seem to impede his detection skills in the least.  This first volume contains 8 stories published in 1914, each of them as good as a Sherlock Holmes tale, and about the same length.  The Tillling Shaw Mystery was my favourite of the bunch, though none of them are bad in any way.  The story can be read for free on-line.  But I strongly suggest getting the Delphi Classics complete works of Bramah for Kindle.

 

My classic literary book of the month was another 600 page super epic.  The Invisible Man was published in 1952, and is Barry Malzberg's choice for best fiction of the 1950s.  Written by Ralph Ellison, the story is about a young black man attending a black college in the south who is kicked out for an unintentional indiscretion.  He makes his way to New York, where he eventually becomes a speaker for the communist party there.  The book rambles a lot, and parts of it seem to have no real purpose.  I enjoyed the first part of the book a lot, but the narrative slows down often for introspection once in New York.  However, it picks up steam again, and ends in a blaze of rioting and mayhem in Harlem, with the hero quite changed by his many experiences.  For this novel I would read 75 pages or so, then read a Max Carrados story by Bramah, thus reading both in turn.  The story is invaluable for teaching how blacks were/are treated by whites, and as far as walking a mile in another person's shoes, this book certainly provides a very rich experience.

 

Needing a break from such severe reality, I read The Gods of Mars, E. R. Burroughs' 2nd Martian novel featuring John Carter.  Published in 1914, the book begins in a really great way, with good writing, a massive comment on religion and false hopes, and enough action to please the pulp fans.  Carter finds himself in a real, live hell, which pilgrims believed to be a holy place to come for rest, never to return to the outside world.  But the facts versus the belief are very different, even though to say otherwise is to blaspheme and be condemned to death (sound familiar?).  There are layers on layers here, a rich ground for some fine writing.  However, the 2nd half of the book becomes a straight forward pulp adventure, with some very poor writing, as Carter tires to rescue Dejah Thoris, his Martian wife.  The book actually ends with a cliff hanger, and readers won't know what really happens to the woman until book 3 is read.

 

I finished up with another masterpiece by James Branch Cabell.  The Line of Love was first written in 1905, and spruced up a bit in 1921.  My Delphi edition of the complete works of this astounding writer includes a foreword to the newer edition by H L Mencken, as well as ten beautiful full colour illustrations by Howard Pyle.  This volume consists of nine novelettes, each one loosely connected by someone from the next generation related to someone in the previous story.  One of my favourites features a love story from the life of Falstaff; another takes part of the life of Francois Villon and gives us a dramatic glimpse into his character and why he was the rogue that he was.  There is even a very touching one about Christopher Marlowe.  Each story is a tiny jewel about marriage, often humourous, sometimes wistful, and other times just very sad.  My first exposure to Cabell was through Lin Carter in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, though my first attempts when a younger reader were unsuccessful.  Later, when I committed to reading and blogging about the entire Ballantine series, I reread his books and fell completely in love with them.

 

One of ten illustrations for Cabell's book, included with the Kindle Delphi edition. 

 

And now some statistics for the reading year, June 2022 through May 2023.  I read 85 books by authors included in the Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery series, and an additional 56 books by other varied authors, for a total of 141 books since last June 1st.  That brings my total since beginning in 2016 to 769 Avon/Equinox authors' books read and 166 other books.  This upcoming year should be the first year that "other" books will outnumber those from the 24 SF authors from the Avon/Equinox series.  And I do have another SF reading project planned should this one ever finish!  Happy reading.

Mapman Mike

 

A Visit Home

It's a long drive to Sudbury from the Windsor area.  About 460 miles, or about 740 kms.  Most of that is on multi-lane freeways, but they are extremely busy freeways.  We drove up last Thursday, making our usual stop in Coldwater for a long stretch, and again at a scenic waterfall near Wanup.  We arrived about 6:30 pm.

Mom and Dad both looked great and seemed in good health.  Stephen, Lynne, and Emma-Lee were also there, and we visited with everyone until Sunday morning.  The grounds and house are in their usual tip top shape, though the pool was still closed.  However, the gardens were blooming, and Dad was out every morning for several hours planting things.

On Friday Deb and I went to Old Rock Coffee Roasters for our mid-day caffeine fix, also bringing home a pound of freshly roasted Honduran Marcalas beans.  Next came a stop at 46 North Brewing Company.  There are too few micro breweries in Sudbury, but at least this was a pretty good one.

 

In other travel news, Caroline is currently in Switzerland, riding trains for fun and adventure on the first segment of her 3 month Eurail pass.  Today she is riding as far as Italy, then back again.  Lucky person!

 

Old Rock Coffee Roastery and Cafe, Sudbury. 

 

Beer board and flight at 46 North (Sudbury's latitude).  They ran out of #6, and had no cans of it.  I liked them all, but they only had cans for #11 and #1.  I bought three of each. The flight is reversed in the photo, so #9 is really #6, and vice versa.  The foamy one is the Coco-nuts, which ran out on my turn.

 

Saturday we went to Beard's Cafe for our mid-day caffeine fix.  Beard's is a vegan bakery and cafe, next door to a vegan ice cream place, and across the street from a vegan Mexican food restaurant.  All are owned by the same person.  A very smart person, as this is one of the busier streets in Sudbury, and all of his businesses are doing really well.  Deb and I got takeaway Mexican food from his Tuco's Tacos Friday night, having enough left over for Saturday's dinner, too.  A little area of happiness for vegans.

Sunday was our long drive home, with only four brief stops.  We were home by 5 pm.  I may attempt to fly home again in late autumn, depending on air fares and Covid.  But for now, our travelling days are over.

A word about the weather--we have had no clouds now for six days, and humidity has hovered around 30% and even lower.  I am finding it rather scary.  I love New Mexico weather, but not a long amount of it in Windsor and Ontario.  Things have dried up here quickly.  With no rain in the forecast, things will turn grim very, very soon, especially for farmers.  While our main air conditioner has not yet come on (we set it for 77 F), the upstairs window one is needed and is running.  With temps due to hit 90F this week, the sun is burning its way into the ground.

In movie news, there are two to report.  Deb's choice comes from 2015, called Cemetery of Splendour, a Thai film that moves slowly but deeply.  Mostly set in a hospital that was once a school, a volunteer helps look after a group of soldiers who are afflicted with a sleeping disease.  While virtually plotless, the film explores connections between dreams and waking, and between reality as we think we know it and other, less tangible realities.  Many moments of the film are so quiet as to be almost lifeless.  Some of the film relates to stream of consciousness.  The real and the unreal and the surreal all meet up at times.  Not for everyone's tastes, but certainly a unique path to walk along for cineastes.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

 My leaving choice comes from Mubi, an Swedish/Egyptian/German film from 2017 called The Nile Hilton Incident, directed by Tarik Saleh.  It's a classic noir crime film, but by adding in the incredible amount of corruption in Cairo, where the film is set, the movie seems to leap into the absurd every five minutes.  While the story itself--a female singer is murdered in a hotel room, and the crime implicates people high up in the government--is pretty much the usual crime thriller, the Cairo setting and the ways of the world there really add zest, humour, and considerable head shaking on the part of viewers.  Quite watchable.

 

Leaving Mubi today. 

 

More news as it happens.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Astronomy Nights Bonanza

I managed five astronomy outings this month, while a sixth was cut short due to smoke from western fires.  I have had a banner spring series of great nights with the telescope, beginning actually back in February.  Though I will probably get out a few times in June, due to late night sunlight those times are brutal the next day.  Besides, a priority soon will be getting my next program played for some friends, and then continuing on to the next program.  There will be a visit coming up soon to see family in Sudbury, too, for a few days.  Mom just had her 94th birthday, and Dad's 92nd is coming soon.  And Emma Lee will be fourteen this June!

Now that astronomy nights are over till next month, my reading program can get back on track.  I lost six nights of reading last month, or about 9 hours.  I am currently enjoying my end of the month ramble through authors from Delphi Classics.  I keep adding to the list, too, as more get published every month.  Even the complete Tolkien is now available for around $4.  Haven't snagged that one, yet.

 

While I was cutting my far back lawn on Monday I finally met the new neighbour, Phil, who moved into the house behind us last autumn.  He had cut the grass for me.  I went over to talk with him.  He is a local farmer, and seems interested in buying that back piece of property from us, on the other side of the creek.  Since our bridge rotted away several years ago we have no direct access to that piece of land.  So here's hoping that we can sell off that piece, which is really a problem for us right now.  I imagine it will be a fairly involved and somewhat lengthy process.

 

Two films to report on, one of them Deb's choice and one of them mine. First up was The Wayward Bus, a Hollywood film from 1957.  Based on a novel by John Steinbeck, it's part soap opera and part adventure film, starring Joan Collins and Jayne Mansfield.  Passengers transfer to a rickety old bus in southern California to get to a border city with Mexico.  But the rains are coming down, and there are landslides, destroyed bridges, and lots of mud to slow things down.  Actually a pretty good film, one that we had never heard of.

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

The wheels of the wayward bus go round and round....  Rick Jason is the driver. 

 

My main choice was The Housemaid, a Korean film like no other, from 1960.  This is one spooky and totally weird movie, one of the best pyscho-dramas I have ever seen.  Lots of Hitchcock influences here, but also much originality.  A Korean family including two kids and one on the way take in a young female housemaid, who becomes a true monster as she sets her sights on the man, a piano teacher.  Restored and now part of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, this is a movie that has to be seen to be believed.  Most of the film takes place in a two story house with a prominent staircase.  Even more prominent is a bottle of well used rat poison.  Some very steamy sex scenes still seem avant-garde today.  It came with a short intro by Mr. Scorsese, as well as a 15 minute extra with a young Korean filmmaker (Bong Joon-ho) talking about the film.

The Housemaid, from 1960.  Now showing on Criterion, and part of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project.

 

Would you allow this person to be your housemaid?  Not after seeing this film. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

News Update

So much news it's difficult to know where to begin.  Deb's latest animated SF short continues to rack up the prizes.  Still a few festivals to hear from, too.  Her latest win comes from Italy's "8 1/2 Film Festival."  That group also has set up a booth at Cannes, and will be featuring Deb's film. 

In ship watching news, I watch 5 ships on a regular basis through a live shipping website.  Four of them are on the Great Lakes, and the other one travels the world, occasionally passing our house on the Detroit River.  One of the Great Lakes ships recently had some electronic problems and ended up grounded off Belle Isle in Detroit.  Though they are unstuck now, they are currently dead in the water while repairs are made.  Their cargo is salt.

 

The Mark W Barker pays an unexpected visit to Detroit's Belle Isle.  Photo is from the Detroit Free Fress.  Ironically, the ship grounded right in front of the island's Great Lakes Shipping Museum, which has a live cam that watches ships pass.  The whole thing was caught on the live cam.

 

In other news, I am committed to a hiking journey to New Mexico this fall.  My main goal (subject to change without notice) is to make a 2nd attempt at climbing Jicarita Peak.  Our first attempt was thwarted by a mismatched water purification bottle.  The mountain is southeast of Taos, atop one of the finest and most scenic ranges in the whole state.  A few other major hikes are planned alongside this one.

Jicarita Peak, NM.  Aim high and see how far one gets.  Training in earnest will begin mid-August. Author's photo from October 2016.  Though the mountain is probably still there, some of this beautiful forest has burned in more recent wildfires.

 

In music news, the next piano get together is in two weeks.  It sounds as if six members will be in attendance.  Practicing here at the Homestead goes on (and on).  I'm still hoping to trade in the piano I now have for a Yamaha keyboard, deluxe model.  Watch here for details.

 

So far this session I have had four clear nights (make that five), but smoke from Alberta wildfires has been milking up our sky.  One of those nights I stayed home; the other time I went out but should have stayed home.  It's supposed to be clear tonight, but smoke is forecast.  Tomorrow looks better.  If I get a fifth outing I will be very happy, though it really cuts into my evening reading time.

 

Now on to movie news.  We wrapped up the final 2 episodes of the French TV series The Middleman.  I can report that the fish had a happy ending.  The series mostly takes place in a run down Parisian apartment building, and the hero (with the possible aid of the fish) travels between the present and a time in the past when he was a child.  It is an amusing series, and well worth catching.

 

We also watched another incredible Seijun Suzuki yakuza film, Branded To Kill from 1967.  This is one of the best 60s films I have ever seen, though it makes little sense and has very little plot to it.  The director was reportedly fired after this film came out, and went on to do TV work before returning to films more than a decade later.  In this very watchable but screwy film about a hired killer, things get really weird when he becomes the hunted.  More gunfights then the average western.  Starring our favourite chipmunk-cheeked hero, Joe Shishido.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Deb chose a documentary called Spettacolo, from 2017.  It follows the population of a small town in Tuscany as they try to mount their latest annual theatrical presentation.  With the young people no longer present in great numbers, more and more work falls upon the aging population.  Viewers wonder why they are continuing to torment themselves in this way.  Give it a rest, or perhaps consider doing things every two years.  Preparations for the spectacle begin in the winter, with discussion about what the topic will be for the performance this year.  Spring and summer show the readings, rehearsals, staging, etc., until opening night finally arrives.  The festival has a huge following in Italy.  However, the amount of volunteer labour involved is quite ridiculous.  Not always riveting cinema, it does show the dedication of several people taken to extreme lengths.  The project began as a way to socialize in the summer evenings, and to tackle subjects important to the people of the village.  I strongly suspect that it won't carry on for much longer, however.

Now showing on Criterion.  From 2017.  

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

The Humble Bus Stop

After waiting seven months, our local bus stop received its permanent sign.  I got sick of calling people about it, so I finally gave up.  Then it magically appeared, one for northbound (Windsor), and one for southbound (A'burg).  Bus stops are a big deal, though most people don't recognize the fact.  Most people have cars to get them where they want to go.  From my bus stop, I can get to virtually any other bus stop in the world, including Caroline's, in London, UK, for example.  In fact, I have two ways of getting there.  I would need to bring a backpack, though.

Method One sees me catch the bus to Windsor literally in front of my house.  Once there, I transfer at the west terminal to the #1C Windsor bus.  That takes me downtown to the main bus terminal.  Then get on the #8 bus (all of this is included in my fare paid near home) and head to the Windsor Airport.  Fly to Toronto, then fly to London.  Take the Piccadilly Tube, and transfer to the Jubilee Line at Green Park Station.  At Canada Water Station, transfer to the #381 bus.  Get off at Shipwright Road stop, and walk the short distance to Caroline's flat.

Method Two is the same until I reach the main Windsor downtown bus terminal.  From there I transfer to the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel Bus, get off at the main Detroit bus depot, and catch the SMART Fast Service #261 to Detroit Metro Airport.  Fly to Heathrow, and follow the same directions as above.  Flying from Detroit eliminates Toronto Pearson Airport, usually a good thing. 

 

My bus stop, just outside my door.  A gateway to the whole wide world.

Caroline's bus stop in London, UK, is much fancier than mine--she has a bench, a shelter, and a garbage receptacle.  But we are now indirectly connected across the globe, thanks to public transport! 

Anyway, I'm glad that our signs are now up.  The temporary signs always blew away in the first gale.  We are now officially on the map!  I've only used the service once, in a trial run for coffee and beer to Windsor last fall.  But now I plan to use it a little more often.  Maybe even go visit Caroline again some time.

In other Homestead news, Titan Tree Service finally made it here to clean up our mess from the late February ice storm.  All is now well once more, though we have an awful lot of wood chips and firewood lying around.  And the lilacs this year are insanely numerous and beautiful.  We have both purple and white lilacs.  Both are fragrant in the heavenly sense.

 

The backyard purple lilacs.

The backyard white lilacs. 

 

Good friend (through both astronomy and music) Randy G. stopped by for a welcome visit this afternoon.  Lucky for him he happened upon a day when Deb had made blueberry scones for breakfast!  There were even some left over for his afternoon visit.  I am hoping to see him out at my windmill observing site one of these days.  He brought us a book of poems by his sister recently published, and getting very warm reviews.  Looking forward to reading it! 

Now on to recently viewed films.  Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter was directed by Frank Tashlin, who had his hand in cartoons before he turned to movies.  From 1957, it stars Tony Randall and Jayne Mansfield in a pretty funny story about an advertising man getting the idea of asking a movie star to endorse a lipstick company.  The opening pre-credit scene is a classic Tashlin touch, among many others seen throughout this film.

Leaving Criterion May 31st. 

 

Deb started her two choices with a drama direct by Ernest Lubitsch.  From 1932 and starring Lionel Barrymore comes Broken Lullaby.  It's about a French soldier, a musician, who kills a German soldier during the war, also a musician, and, driven by extreme guilt, goes to Germany to tell the family what happened.  Quite a good story, and often well acted.  Barrymore plays the dead German boy's father.  Set in a small German town following the war, the French are not very welcome.

 

Showing on Criterion until May 31st.
 

Deb's main choice was an oddball film from Thailand/Spain called Uncle Boonmee Who can Recall His Past Lives.  It won the Palme D'Or in 2010.  The uncle is dying of kidney failure, and his illness brings ghosts and other spirits to him and his family in their quiet home on the outskirts of the jungle.  They mostly sit and talk quietly with them.  Definitely worth checking out.

 

Now showing on Mubi.  Most unusual. 

 

Switching back to two of my choices, first up was the uniquely named feature from Japan called Detective Bureau 2-3: Go To Hell Bastards, from 1963 and directed by Seijun Suzuki.  The movie is as stupid as its title, but fun to watch regardless.  A private detective in Tokyo infiltrates the yakuza who are raining terror upon the city.  Gunfights like you wouldn't believe!  Hilarious and more than a bit far-fetched, as 1960s Tokyo tries to emulate and outdo 1930s Chicago.

Now showing on Criterion.  For real. 

 

Still in the realm of the bizarre, the funny, and the 'way the hell out there' kind of film, I chose the first two parts of a 4-part French TV series from 2019 called The Middleman.  Each episode is around 45 minutes long, so we will finish it up later this week.  Here is the Criterion blurb about it, as it's kind of difficult to describe it in my own words.  The world's biggest loser tries to keep his life from completely falling apart, but it's way too late for that.

 

"Cocreated and codirected for French television by celebrated Israeli author Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, THE MIDDLEMAN is a drolly offbeat four-part miniseries set in a captivatingly surreal universe. Mathieu Amalric, the hangdog everyman of Gallic cinema, stars as Olivier, a divorced real estate agent desperate to repair his strained relationship with his daughter and so broke he camps out in the apartments he is supposed to be selling. The death of his mother brings many surprises, including a very unexpected inheritance: a building on the outskirts of Paris. But what at first seems to be a windfall soon turns out to be a run-down money pit that only compounds our hapless hero’s problems. Luckily, Olivier has just the friend to guide him through these troubled times: a talking goldfish who turns out to be a most valuable confidant."  

 

Leaving Criterion May 31st.  

 

Back over to Deb's pick for one final film for this blog entry.  Kedi is a 2016 film from Turkey about the local cat population of Istanbul.  A charming documentary, it follows the daily lives of eight different cats and how they survive on the streets.  Many cats are very well looked after by the locals, but it still is a ridiculous situation that will only get more ridiculous as time goes on.  Warning: there are a lot of cats in this film.  It would be fun to visit some of them someday.

Now showing on Mubi.

Wrapping things up for this weekend, it was Mothers' Day today.  I spoke with my mom, and managed to get her to see the following photo, from about 1965.

Happy Mothers' Day, Mom! 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Hour With A Fazioli Piano

I really like my Yamaha upright piano.  It's about as good a piano as I could have ever hoped to own.  It is not perfect, and it has idiosyncrasies.  Like all pianos.  Most of my practicing and performing life I have played on Yamahas, both uprights and grands.  I've never given a concert on a Steinway, but have had lessons on them.  Old pianos, not so great ones.  But today was a real treat, as I got to run through my Bach and Grieg program on Dr. S.'s four year old Fazioli.  The piano itself is a piece of woodworking art, both inside and underneath.  They are acclaimed by many as the finest in piano craftsmanship known.  I can now vouch for that statement.  This one was beautiful, a 7' grand, model 212 (length in cms).  Here is a picture of it from the Fazioli website.

The model I played on today.  It retails today for $157,000 US. If I sell my house, I can get one!

Angela Hewitt swears by hers, and she plays a lot of Bach.  Today I started with 6 pieces by that composer.  The piano spoke beautifully, each separate voice line heard clearly and cleanly.  The bass range has a warmth to it that will work well for a lot of literature, though a more growling bass might be preferred for Beethoven, for example.  The mid-range and upper range are both perfection, with a creamy sound that is hard to describe, rich and forthcoming.  Loud tones resonate really well, without harshness, and softer tones can whisper and still maintain plenty of body.  The six pieces by Grieg that I played all test different aspects of the piano, though being called Lyric Pieces, lyricism is at the heart of all of them.  

The Shepherd Boy took me away from this world into another one.  Gentleness, loneliness, the cruelty of being isolated from fellow humans, are just some of the emotions the composer was after here.  From pp to ff, the piano spoke wonderfully for the entire piece.  In the Peasants' March I had trouble with the fff passages.  After stopping to figure out what was wrong, I realized that I was pushing the piano too hard.  It was unnecessary.  This piano will work for the player, making our job easier than we might think.  I tried the super loud passage again, without trying to kill the piano with sound.  I didn't strive to reach that fff, but I think I realized it much better than my first attempt.  Allowing the sound to build up without crushing  it seemed to work much better than brute force.  The March of The Dwarfs was a revelation to me.  This piano can do staccato better than any other piano I have ever played, both loud and soft.  And now that I didn't push for more sound, but rather politely insisted instead, the loud parts worked beautifully.  The singing lyrical mid-section (when the forest nymphs, fairies, pixies and whatever come back out to play after the passing of the dwarf hoard) took me into near ecstatic realms of beautiful tonal washes.  I probably won't play these pieces nearly so well at the upcoming gathering of pianists here, but for a short time, I sounded amazing lol!!

It did take me some time to get used to the piano, (but I am coming from an upright) so I recommend bringing more than one piece to the group in June.  If time permits I will perform the three Grieg pieces mentioned above (I played the other three on Paula's perfectly lovely Yamaha grand last month).

Robert and Yvonne also have an amazingly beautiful home, filled with art.  I felt very welcome.  If a bedroom becomes available, I might ask to move in

Mapman Mike

 

Eastshade: A Game For PC

Gaming has fallen by the wayside around here in the past several months.  No board or card games, and no computer gaming, other than to wander around old stand-bys like Myst, Riven, and Uru.  I got bogged down in Botanicula, where I completed certain goals but the game never let me advance.  So we loaded Eastshade, a game built for people who loved Myst.  One wanders around a truly beautiful landscape as a painter, often selling art for cash or favours, without fear of dying.  Goals are clearly laid out, the inventory menu is clear and easy to use, and the scenery is breathtaking.  There are seaside landscapes to explore, and villages, hilltops, forests, rivers, and mountains.  Days are sunny, with an eclipse each day that changes the light and mood.  Nights are cold, and you have to have shelter by the time it is dark, or else have a glass of mead with you as you wander about.  Best of all, the items players need to gather are easy to find and clearly differentiated from the surrounding flora and fauna.  Walking here is very restful.  Here are a few screenshots.

4 screenshots from Eastshade, a game for PC.  After painting a picture, it can be exported to your desktop. 

 

Last Friday was the third gathering of the newly formed Windsor/Essex piano performance fellowship.  We met at Paula's home and studio.  Four turned out this time, the largest gathering so far.  There are seven of us now, including three doctors.  Next meeting is at Dr. Rob's home, where we will get to play on his Fazioli piano!!!!!!!!!  Everyone is looking forward to that!!!!!!

 

Astronomy begins this week, and with the start time bumped up to around 10 pm, my entire schedule will be thrown off again when a clear spell arrives.  Thursday morning our tree person will be here to clean up storm damage from February, and of course it looks to be clear Wednesday night.  Not much sleep ahead, I am afraid.  It also bumps heavily into my reading time.  But I love being out at night with the telescope.  There is nothing quite like it.

 

My April film festival finished up with another Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.  Sansho The Bailiff is from 1954, and ranks 75th on the Sight and Sound best 100 films list.  It is a retelling of an old oral folktale about slavery in medieval Japan, and is quite a dark film.  Well acted for the most part, and beautifully photographed again, the film would seem to have much to say to most of civilization, even today.  While it's discouraging to see so few kind males in the film (they are all brutes), most of the women are portrayed with greater sensitivity and positive human-like qualities.  Definitely a recommended film to watch (our 2nd time, at least), but doubtful as to whether or not it would make our top 100 film list.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Now that the festival choices were complete (3 films along with 10 short docs accompanying them), I still had my two regular choices remaining.  One choice can be from any source, while the 2nd choice must come from the leaving soon list from either Criterion or Mubi.  My first pic was a truly crazy animated feature called Mind Game, from 2004.  From Japan and directed by Masaaki Juasa, it is a mix of styles and techniques.  This would be a good contender for the animated equivalent of "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once," only it came out 17 years ago, and it works for animation.  The story is simple; a group of three people (a guy, his girlfriend, and her sister) run from the yakuza after killing one of their hit men.  Their speeding car goes off a bridge and they are swallowed by a whale.  Inside the whale, an old man is living comfortably, after having been caught 30 years earlier.  This is one of the wackiest features ever made, and often very funny.  Often you just sit back and watch some of the weirdest imagery and nonsense flash before your eyes.  Needless to say, the credits are long for this one.  Highly recommended.

 

Mind Game is showing on Mubi. 

 

More movie news next time.  Next time may be delayed by clear skies.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

May Flowers

We have certainly had the April showers.  But the first two days of May have been more like late March, with cold wind and rain.  We are still running the boiler in May.  Then, suddenly, we will be at 85 F and turning on the A. C.  We were out walking last Friday, and the farm fields were completely waterlogged.  We've had plenty more rain since last Friday.  Frogs were singing away in the ditches.  Though our grass is high enough to cut, it's been too wet.

 

This Friday is the 3rd piano performance group get together.  So far, three is the magic number.  The first gathering I was with Alde and Nadia, while at the second I was with our two newest members, Rob B. and Rob S.  They are both working physicians (internal medicine) but fine piano players.  I've known Rob B since he was a small boy, winning all the local piano competitions.  We reconnected on FB and he expressed interest in coming out, and enticed another doctor to join him.  This Friday we are at Paula's studio, and it looks like three of us again.  I doubt we will ever have all six together at once, but perhaps someday.  Paula just signed on to the group recently because she and her husband spend the winters in Florida.  She will be with us until late October. 

 

We are hoping to get to Detroit this week, if the weather offers us an opportunity.  John King Books, a brewery or three, and perhaps a bookstore and a cafe, along with a walk somewhere.  Next week the new astronomy session begins, which will mean very late nights for me, and if it is clear then very little daytime activity will be planned.  No other big plans for the next few weeks.  A trip to visit family is forthcoming, however.

In film news, there are three to report.  Deb's final pick was a short animated feature called Our Sound, from 2019.  It's a weird and strange comedy about three high school boys suddenly starting up a rock band.  They have two bass guitars and a partial drum set.  From Japan, it captures a lot of the tropes about such spontaneous bands, and treats them with humour and a kind of oblique sensitivity.  Recommended.  Watch for the brief Abbey Road tribute.

Showing on Criterion.

The band in action. 

 

Next came the end of the month film festival, which is still in progress.  My theme this time was the same as two months ago--films showing on Criterion from the Sight and Sound survey of top 100 films of all time.  Up till now I have chosen unseen films, but this time I chose films that we have seen, but not lately.  First up was Ugetsu, from 1953 and directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.  As is usual with Criterion, there were extras to watch afterwards, too.  The story is about two men who are overcome with greed during a period of war and civil unrest.  One man wants more than anything to become a samurai, while his friend simply wants more money.  They are both led astray, with the money man being seduced by a ghost woman.  A sad film in many ways, the ending is unexpected and more than a bit unsatisfying, almost as if the message was not to try and rise above your station in life.  That was perhaps true in medieval times anywhere, though. The movie is very good, but it would not appear on my top 100 list.  There are several unforgettable moody scenes, including the man's first visit to the ghost castle, and a ferry trip across a river in the fog.

Showing on Criterion, and tied for 90th spot in the most recent Sight and Sound survey.

Next came a movie from Roberto Rossellini called Journey To Italy.  From 1954, it would not even make my own top 1000 list.  Starring Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders as a married couple heading soon for a divorce, they drive to Italy (Naples) to sell off an inherited house.  By day she goes sightseeing.  He has no interest in anything much.  They squabble constantly.  Finally, near the end, they go together to Pompeii.  They see the uncovering of an adult couple who died in each other's arms during the catastrophe.  They go back to Naples, get caught up in a religious festival, and suddenly are in love with one another.  Some nice travelogue stuff about Naples here, but not much else.  Sanders is like a piece of wood or a stone.  Why would she suddenly fall in love with him?  Desperation and insecurity at being alone?  Not a great film by any measure, Scorsese and a few others swear by it.  It did break from the Italian neorealism school and start a new direction for film.  While it might be important for film history buffs, it is far from being a good movie.  Listed as the 73rd best film of all time, it is at the same rank as L'Avventura.  Really?

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

The 3rd and final film in my festival starts tonight.  Until next time....

 

Mapman Mike